Living with the Dead
by Fairah-chan
Summary: Ichigo gets into one fight, and when Ichigo wakes up, he is not in Karakura Town anymore! What happens when Ichigo realizes that he is one of the dead and lives in the Land of the Dead? What about the mysterious girl with black hair and a white dress?
1. Welcome to the Land of the Dead

**Alright. This is my first time posting something on , so don't blame me for the lack of everything.**

**I do not own the Bleach characters, for they belong to Tite Kubo. **

Ichigo fell to the rough concrete floor, blood oozing from the corner of his mouth and nose. He pushed himself up, his arms shaking and blood dripping, and as he looked up, a foot hit him at the side of his cheek; everything went black.

Ichigo could hear voices as he tried to open his eyes. "How long is he going to sleep?" a voice asked among the rest of the questioning one's.

Finally, his eyes slit open, people surrounding him as he lied on the floor. They gasped, moving slightly away from him as he sat up. "Are you alright?" An elderly voice asked within the crowd. He nodded. "You slept for a while now," she said.

He looked around, slowly getting to his feet. "Where am I?" He gazed around. Old brick buildings with small windows surrounded him, and a group of people older than him stood around him.

"Home or since you're new, Land of the Dead, which is your home, too." The woman said from behind Ichigo.

He turned around, finding the woman behind two, short men. "Land of the what?" he asked.

"Land of the Dead and it's a place where the people who have passed come to."

Ichigo was quiet for a moment. "Where dead people go to..." his voice trailed off. "That is just—" Off in the distance, there were skeletons. Ichigo staggered back as everyone moved out of his way.  
His heart raced as he looked around. "This isn't Karakura Town anymore," he whispered, panic rising.

"Oh, so you're from the same town as—"

Ichigo interrupted the old woman. "I cannot be dead. I was fine just—" Ichigo began to remember hitting the floor, his blood covering the concrete, passing out, but he could still hear voices. He remembers hearing crying and a small feminine voice.

"Ichigo, you cannot be dead." It was Orihime. "You're still warm..." her voice trailed off.

_I'm not dead, _he thought. _If I was, I would have been cold, and I wouldn't have been able to hear Orihime. I have to get out of here._

"Is there a way out of here?" he asked. "I mean is there a way to get back to Karakura Town?"

"Well, there is," the woman started. "But why would—"

"I'm not dead—see, I'm not injured." Ichigo patted his stomach.

Everyone laughed. "Of course you're not injured, none of us are," the woman chuckled.

"What do you mean?"

"When you enter the Land of the Dead, you injuries disappear. But when you leave, they reappear. I died in a car accident."

Another voice came from within the crowd, "I died in a fire."

"A bullet killed me."

"And for people who died in their sleep or so," she said. "They are purple or blue. How did you die?"

Ichigo was too astonished and horrified to answer. "Don't pester him, Cathleen. Let us all get a drink at Gary's," an elder man sighed.

"Of course, let us all welcome...what is your name young man?" the woman asked him.

"I-Ichigo," he said.

"Okay, Ichigo let us all introduce ourselves." The woman grabbed his wrist and led him towards the bar.

Ichigo sat at a bar stool, staring at the fizzy alcohol in front of him. "Any questions?" the woman asked, taking a sip of her beverage.

"Just one," he whispered. "Is there a way to go up there?"

"The World of the Living?" she asked. He nodded. "Well, you came at the right time. In two weeks time, we have an opportunity to go up there. It happens once every two years."

Ichigo's head shot up. "Really?" he asked.

She nodded. "Every two years, on Halloween, we visit the World of the Living and celebrate the day of the dead. We tend not to interact with the humans, so we celebrate in the woods."

"And this is in two weeks?" Ichigo said feeling happily overwhelmed at what she had just said. She nodded, taking another sip. "So," he started, unsure of what to say, "What do you do here?"

She spun herself around, watching everyone dance and talk and laugh. "Anything you wish." She glanced at him. "Go take a look around and see what we do."

Ichigo walked down a narrow alleyway, his hands in his jean pockets, lost in thought. As he exited the alley, he noticed a woman—no, a girl? She was shorter than Ichigo; her hair was black and short, barely passing her ears, and wore a knee-length, white dress.

She stood on top of a railing at the edge of a cliff looking out at other buildings. He watched her as she extended her foot out. He ran towards her. She disappeared from his sight.


	2. The Woman in White

**The Woman in White**

Ichigo grabbed her hand, feeling his self falling over the rail. He grabbed the railing with one hand, the other holding the girls hand. She looked up at him a little shocked. "What the hell is wrong with you? Do you want to die?" he asked, holding his grip on both the railing and her hand.

She chuckled. "I guess you're new around here," she said. Her voice was not child like, but older, a teenager maybe? "Will you let go of me?"

"Are you crazy? Do you want to die?" Ichigo could feel his grip loosen from the railing.

She laughed. "I'm already dead." He had forgotten that he wasn't home anymore. "We're immune from breaking. Let go." Ichigo hesitated. "Trust me."

"I have a quick question. What if someone who isn't actually dead ends up here; if they fell, will they die?" he asked.

"No, once you enter the Land of the Dead, dead or alive, you're immune."

He let her go. Ichigo watched her as she fell, landing on her feet then falling on her behind. She stayed still for a while, causing Ichigo feel frightened. She looked up at him. "Are you coming?" she called up to him.

He hesitated but soon let go. It felt as though he were falling forever, as though there was no ground below him that was going to hit him, but soon, Ichigo hit the floor, not feeling any pain in his body. He stared up where the sky was supposed to be, but the blue sky he imagined was replaced with dirt and roots and bits and pieces of grass.

From the corner of his eye he watched the black haired girl stand up. "Are you dead?"

"What?" he asked, fear filling him whole.

"The question you asked. Are you dead, or alive?"

Would he be executed if he told the truth? Could he be executed even though she told him that no one can die in a place like this? Would they lock him up and never let him go home? "I was talking to some guy and he told me a story about someone who was still alive coming here," he lied.

"Oh, you must have been talking to Kaito," she laughed, brushing the dirt off herself.

Ichigo stood up. He fully took in her texture. She was shoulder length to him, her eyes almost as dark as her hair and there was a strand of her hair going down the middle of her forehead, then curving under he left eye.

She gave a small wave before running into the street. "W-wait," Ichigo called after. He followed her down the street, watching her as she ran up a wall and grabbed the edge of a slanted roof.

She disappeared from his sight, but from the corner of his eye he could see her shadow. He followed her shadow, dodging ever wall that stood in his way. He glanced up. She jumped from one roof to another. Ichigo looked ahead, hitting a wall.

He fell to the floor, slowly comprehending what had just happened. A head popped out from above. He watched her as she jumped down and landed next to him. "Are you alright?" she asked, crouching down and resting her chin in her hands.

"Y-yeah," he said, sitting up. He watched her as she stood up, stretching her hand out to him. He quickly stood up, ignoring her offering hand.

"Rukia," she said.

"What?" He glanced down at her, staring at her still extended hand.

"My name is Rukia," she said again, waiting for him to shake her hand.

Taking her hand, he said, "Ichigo." Her hand was small compared to his, and cold; but for some strange reason, he felt electricity run through him.

She smiled. "Hello, Ichigo."


	3. Buried to be Dragged Down

**Buried to be Dragged Down**

Ichigo's feet dangled off the edge of the roof as he sat next to Rukia. He watched from the corner of his eye Rukia kick her feet back and forth.

Over the hours of talking, Ichigo learned the basic rules of staying in the Land of the Dead. He also learned a couple of things about Rukia; for instance, her favorite color, what she loved eating, the usual. But what was kept a secret was how she died, where she died, and why. Just like Ichigo, everything was a secret.

But what wasn't a secret to Ichigo was the warm feeling towards her. Ichigo wasn't the 'love at first sight' person, but he was slowly beginning to have feelings for this deceased person.

"What about you? Are you naturally..." She looked at the top of his head. "Orange?" she asked.

Ichigo chuckled. "Yes, I'm naturally orange," he said in the same tone as her.

She studied the top of his head before speaking, "You're the first person I have ever seen with different colored hair."

Ichigo smiled. "Do I get an award?"

Rukia laughed softly. "I'll make you one someday."

"I'll be waiting," said Ichigo, looking up at the dirt. Silence filled the air before Ichigo broke it again. "How do people end up here? I thought there was Heaven and Hell for that."

"There is, but you end up here before being chosen on either side." She paused. "After you're buried, your taken down here; your body does not stay in the coffin, it ends up here. When you're chosen to belong in heaven or hell, it takes a while before you leave."

Ichigo stayed silent, listening to Rukia as she continued to kick her feet. "Wow, I never thought of that."

Rukia laughed. "Until last year, neither did I."

"You died last year?"

She looked up at him. "No, I someone told me about all of this last year."

"How old were you when you died?" he asked.

Rukia smiled. "You will never know."

He stared at her blankly. "Can I guess?" She shrugged. "Thirteen." She shook her head. "Fifteen," he said, and again, she shook her head. "Seventeen?" he asked. No.

Ichigo continued to guess, each guess was wrong, "Ninety."

"I'm not _that_ old," Rukia protested.

"Well, every number I guessed was wrong."

"That's because you skipped my age."

"What is it?" Ichigo pestered.

Rukia jumped off the roof. "You will never know," she said before running away.

"I will figure it out," Ichigo muttered under his breath.


	4. Sleepless

**Sleepless**

Ichigo leaned lazily against the brick wall, waiting for a certain girl to meet him. Footsteps were heard in the distance as Rukia appeared from within the shadows. He craned his head to see her jog up to him. "You're late," he said, turning to look ahead of him.

From the corner of his eye he could see her stop and stare at him, a puzzled look on her face. "No I'm not," she said, laughing to herself.

"Yes, you are."

"How would you know," she said.

Ichigo pushed himself off the wall, walking a few steps ahead. "I counted."

Rukia laughed, walking up to the smiling Ichigo. "I almost believed you," she said, walking ahead of him.  
Ichigo wrapped his arm around her neck, lightly putting her into a headlock.

"Where are we going?" he asked, pulling her closer to him.

Rukia laughed, her small hands holding his wrist. "I don't know." Ichigo let her go, an astonished look on his face. "What?" she asked.

"That is the first time you don't know where you're going," he said.

"Be quiet," she laughed as she continued to walk ahead with Ichigo following behind.

"Do people ever sleep here?" he asked, walking up next to her. "I mean, for the couple of weeks that I've been here, no one really sleeps."

"Well, that's an option. If you choose to continue to live the life you lived, then you can sleep. If not, then don't." Ichigo gave her a puzzled look. "I'll show you," she said, taking his wrist and leading him down a flight of stairs.

Ichigo sat on an old ragged bed, next to an old wooden nightstand with a small candle barely glowing. The room was empty with only a rocking chair at the far corner of the room. The walls were dirty white, and the wooden floor looked as though it had been through some hard times.

Rukia stood in front of him, pointing to the old white pillow. "Lie down." Ichigo laid down watching Rukia as she walked around the bed to lie next to him. "Okay," she started, closing her eyes. "Close your eyes and let your body relax."  
Ichigo closed his eyes and relaxed his body, feeling the small heat that came from the candle. "Count down from ten."

Ichigo listed as Rukia began to count down. "Six, five, four," her voice started to fade. "Three. Two..." Everything went silent. Ichigo waited for her to speak but there was nothing but quiet exhalations.

He opened his eyes, turning to look at Rukia. She was asleep. She looked peaceful; her chest moving up then down. Ichigo turned to his side, facing her. He stared at her for a while before he reached to touch her cheek. It was smooth and cold, but it still sent electricity throughout his whole body.

"Rukia," he whispered.


	5. Welcome to the World of the Living

**Welcome to the World of the Living**

Ichigo walked along the quiet road, his hands in his pockets. Looking ahead, he noticed a small child pulling an older man by his hand. "Hurry, we can't miss it," he said, continuing to pull the laughing old man.

"Don't worry they shall not be leaving until after the third bell, and the first bell has not rung yet."

"But I want to make sure we get there early," the boy complained.

"Are you not going?" the man asked, looking at Ichigo.

"Me?" Ichigo pointed to himself.

"Yes, you, are you not coming?"

"To where?" Ichigo asked, his hand falling back to his side.

"The World of the Living of course," the man said.

Ichigo remembered. _Every two years, on Holloween, we visit the World of the Living and celebrate the day of the dead. In two weeks time, we have an opportunity to go up there._

Ichigo would be going home, seeing his friends again. As though his heart disappeared since he arrived, it began to beat rapidly, coming back to life. "Yeah, I'm going."

The man smiled. "Come on, then."

* * *

Ichigo stood with the rest of the crowd, the third bell ringing, as a flight of stairs appeared far ahead from where he stood. Ichigo's eyes followed the long flight of stairs as it went up to the ground. Everyone began to move, a line forming as they reached the stairs.

Ichigo continued to follow the old man and child up the stairs to the ground, his heart continued to beat rapidly as he smelled the familiar smell of home.

He stepped on the sparkling we grass, the air cold and damp, making it harder for him to breathe. He looked around, big trees surrounding him and everyone. He watched as everyone went deeper into the forest, talking and laughing among themselves.

Ichigo slowly walked the opposite direction, finding his way out of the forest.

Ichigo walked quickly down the sidewalk, passing little children with bags of candy. Their laughter filled his ears with complete bliss as he turned a corner towards Orihime's house.

If he remembered correctly, Orihime was having everyone get together at her house. Please be there he thought, picking up his pace.

Ichigo stood in front of Orihime's front door, his fist inches away from the wooden door. He hesitated. Finally, Ichigo knocked quietly, his hand suddenly  
feeling weak. He waited, hearing the flies fly above his head.

"Ichigo?" a small, shocked, feminine voice called from behind him.

He turned around, her body completely covered by the shadow only her bare feet stood in the light. "Orihime—" He watched her as her feet became swallowed up by the shadow. "Rukia," his voice was a whisper.

_When you enter the Land of the Dead, you injuries disappear but, when you leave, they reappear._

Ichigo knew he wasn't dead, and now Rukia knows. "Rukia," he said more clearly, his hand extending out towards her; but she was gone, her  
footsteps slowly disappearing. "Wait, Rukia," Ichigo called taking two steps after her before a door opened behind him. Ichigo hid in the shadows as Orihime's head popped out, looking around.

Ichigo desperately wanted to run to Orihime telling her he never died, but then there was Rukia...


	6. The Truth

**The Truth**

"Rukia, please wait," Ichigo pleaded, following her down a lonesome sidewalk. "At least let me explain."

She stopped with her back to him. "You never died that's why you asked me if you could survive falling off the cliff. Why didn't you tell me?" Ichigo opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came. "Well, you're here now..." her voice trailed off as if she didn't want to continue.

Ichigo walked towards her, slowly turning her to face him. Her head was down, but he could see bruises on her arms and legs. He lifted her chin with his hand and looked at her.

Her face was bruised, a shade of dark blue mixed with purple. Her lower lip was cut and a long red mark went across her neck. His body trembled. What happened to her?

Ichigo touched her cheek, expecting her to wince from the pain, but nothing. "Rukia," he barely whispered. His heart ached as he pulled her into a hug.

She froze in his arms before she slowly relaxed. She stayed in his arms for a while before she pushed him away. "I can't," she whispered, looking up into his hurt eyes. "You're not dead, I am. You're alive, I'm not." She began to back away from him.

"Rukia," he whispered.

"I can't. I'm sorry." She ran away. He knew it could never happen, no matter how much he wishes it could. There was no reason for him to chase her; there could never be a reason.

"Are you not going to go after her?" A skeletal man walked up next to Ichigo. He held on to his old cane, scratching his long, gray beard.

"How can I? I'm not dead." Ichigo stared at the spot Rukia once stood at.

"Has she ever told you about what happened to her?" the old man asked. Ichigo shook his head. "I hope what I tell you will help you choose wisely." The old man began to walk ahead with Ichigo following behind him.

"When the Land of the Dead was created, Rukia was one of the first to enter it –along with me. The reason she has not become a skeleton is because she died differently," he paused, "It was around two hundred years ago when she died. She was visiting America and became madly in love with a man named James.

Now James was twenty and Rukia was eighteen, but nothing could pull them apart."

_That's because you skipped my age,_ Ichigo remembered her telling him.

"They were to be married, but Rukia's older brother forbids it, telling Rukia that he only wanted their money. Who knew he was right," the man sighed. "They planned to run away together. Rukia waited for James in the woods for many hours, and finally, he came. He asked Rukia if she took anything with her and she told him no." The old man scratched the top of his skeletal head as they continued to walk.

"When James told her to go back and receive some gold, she protested, saying she would get caught if she went back. That was when –well, you saw her –he beat her." Ichigo's heart ached as he remembered Rukia's bruises. "After he beat her, he choked her to death then buried her. As they said, once you are buried, your body is dragged down. Of course people who die are chosen to be in heaven or hell, but not for Rukia and me. We are the rulers of the Land of the Dead; we are to make sure everyone who enters knows the rules.  
Rukia had to meet people her age to know the generation's new styles. If I am correct, you must have thought that Rukia died a year or so ago." Ichigo nodded. "Rukia's life was taken from her; she never had the chance to see it through. I hope you make the right decision."

"I want to be with her, but it's impossible." Ichigo noticed he was walking in the woods, passing a lamp-post as they walked deeper and deeper into the woods.

The old man stopped. "Well..."


	7. Dying for Love

**Dying for Love**

Ichigo ran through the woods desperately looking for Rukia. Where is she? He stopped, gasping for air as he scanned the area around him. "Just continue ahead," an old woman's voice said from within the trees.

He couldn't see her, but he continued to run ahead. There she was, standing next to an old man, their back to him. Ichigo could feel his heart beat rapidly as he stopped and walked toward the two.

"Rukia," he called to her. She froze, slowly turning around.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, a shocked and pained look displayed on her bruised face. "Why aren't you with your friends or-"

"Because, I want to be with you," he interrupted.

"W-what?" her voice was a whisper.

"As soon as I met you, I had a strange feeling. I thought it was because I was scared that I was in the Land of the Dead, but that wasn't it. I thought for a while and soon figured out that it was you that made me feel this way.

I wanted to be by your side every day, to hold you in my arms or see you every day. My heart would beat rapidly when your arm brushed against mine or if I merely touched your hand. I want to be with you, Rukia." The old man smiled next to her and slowly walked away.

"I can't let you do that."

"Why not," Ichigo whined, feeling like a five year old.

"Because you have a life to live, you have people to fall in love with, children to have, a world to experience," she cried.

"I'll fall in love with you. I'll take care of children when they die. I'll experience the world through people. I don't want to do anything else without you by my side."

"Ichigo," she started, her voice cracking. "I lost my life; you can't let yours go because of me."

"You're holding my life in your hands. Rukia, I love you and you're the only person I'll ever fall in love with. I will die, just to be with you," Ichigo said.

"That is not possible, even if I want it to be true."

"It can happen," he said, pulling a clear bottle from his pocket with red liquid swaying side-to-side from inside the bottle. "I'll die now." He walked up to her.

"Where did you get that?" she asked, eyeing on the bottle.

Ichigo ignored her question. "If I drink this, will you be by my side?"

"Ichigo…" her voice trailed off.

"Please." Rukia said nothing for a while, but slowly, she nodded. Ichigo popped the bottle open and took a gulp. It tasted bitter, like drinking metal.

Pain shot through Ichigo's body as he fell to his knees, Rukia falling to her knees, too. She grabbed his hand, wrapping it between both of her small ones. Ichigo squeezed her hand tightly. He wondered if he squeezed too hard he could break it.

The pained stopped and he let her hand go. "Ichigo," she whispered.

He looked at his hand that was pressed against the ground. It was purple. He looked up at Rukia's worried expression. He smiled, putting his hand at the back of her neck and pressing her lips against his, savoring her lips.

Separating from her, he whispered, "I love you."

* * *

_A/N: Well, that is all..._

_Um, for those of you who actually made it through the end, I give you props. I had more confident in the beginning of the story, but it was my first time, so thank you for suffering though it with me! I will be writing more-just not sure when yet._


End file.
